1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a probe for the measurement of the viscosity of liquids.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a probe for measuring the viscosity of biological liquids.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A probe, known in the prior art, measures the viscosity of liquids. It uses a magnetostriction transducer. The magnetic field of the coil contains a ferrite core. The rod face is made of an elastic material to which is glued the transducer face. The elastic material is fusible quartz. The other end of the rod is used as the sensor for the measurement of viscosity.
The common housing contains the transducer and the rod. At one of the nodal points of the rod a clamp is disposed for clamping the rod. An externally stimulated generator operates the coil. The operation of the generator creates the generation of a magnetic field. The ferrite core is caused to vibrate by the magnetic coil. The sensor is in the test liquid where it receives the vibrations from the quartz rod.
The measurement of the viscosity of a liquid consists in measuring the vibration damming introduced by the liquid under test and comparing the reading to the value of the damping under conditions of free vibration. By mounting the clamp of the ferrite rod at a nodal point, the damping introduced by the clamp can be reduced.
However, a drawback of such a probe is a low output signal from the magnetostriction transducer. The core can be displaced with respect to the coil due to the clamping of the rod at one point only, and, in consequence, the measurement accuracy is worsened.
Owing to the poor coupling between the ferrite core and the coil, it is impossible to build a generator operating at the natural frequency of the transducer because the transducer feedback is too weak.
Numerous innovations for probes for measuring he viscosity of biological liquids have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.